


The Reason We Love

by anartfreak



Category: Batman (Comics), DCU
Genre: Angst, Batfamily Feels, Caring!Damian, Domestic!Dick, F/M, Fluff, Gen, Humor, Im sorry Im horrible at tagging!, M/M, Male Homosexuality, batfamily, domestic!jason
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-12-17
Updated: 2014-02-01
Packaged: 2018-01-05 00:24:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,242
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1087400
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anartfreak/pseuds/anartfreak
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“What did you say your name was, again?” Tim stutters through his question, eying the four-year-old in front of him disbelievingly. </p>
<p>“Thomas Gwayson,” the kid repeated, face in an actual scowl that reminded Tim a lot of Jason.</p>
<p>“And- who are your parents?” </p>
<p>The kid huffs in annoyance, because he is repeating himself and his attention span is that of a four-year-old after all. “Dick Gwayson and Jason Thodd,” The kid, Thomas, said with a lisp.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Knock, Knock Dads

**Author's Note:**

> Please give me suggestions and feedback. PLEASE.

“What did you say your name was, again?” Tim stutters through his question, eying the four-year-old in front of him disbelievingly. 

“Thomas Gwayson,” the kid repeated, face in an actual scowl that reminded Tim a lot of Jason.

“And- who are your parents?” 

The kid huffs in annoyance, because he is repeating himself and his attention span is that of a four-year-old after all. “Dick Gwayson and Jason Thodd,” The kid, Thomas, said with a lisp. 

Even though Tim was bent at the waist, hands on his knees, at Thomas's height, he could feel the constrained laughter threatening to erupt from Stephanie and Cass. Dick and Jason were unusually quiet behind him, and Damian was muttering about how Bruce and Alfred had to be gone this week. Tim ran through every possibility of how this kid could be both Dick and Jason's son- Oh god. Their son.- before turning to Steph and Cass. 

“How about you take Thomas to the kitchen?” The unspoken So I can figure this out followed.   
“C'mon, kiddo, let's go raid the cookie jar,” Stephanie announced, grabbing the kid's hand and leading him away before he could protest; Cass on their heels. 

Once they were out of earshot, Tim looked over at his two older brothers. Dick and Jason both looked a sickly shade of green. Dick was quietly opening and shutting his mouth, and Tim was pretty sure Jason had gone catatonic. Luckily, everyone had been out of uniform, but Dick in nothing but his boxers and Jason in Dick's pajama pants only fed to the theory that supported Thomas's legitimacy. Tim ran his hand over his face. 

“Someone please tell me what the fuck is going on.” Tim looked at Dick, surprised at the language, while Dick returned the look with something close to pleading. 

“Do we really have a son?” Jason deadpans. Damian strolls back into the room, papers folded in his hand, and, to be honest, looking a little pale. 

“Yes,” Damian answers, thrusting the paperwork at Tim. Tim looks over it momentarily while Dick and Jason are staring at him, burning holes into his cranium. Tim shares a look with his two older brothers, then hands Jason the paper that state the results of the DNA sample they had collected from Thomas when he had first arrived at the Manor. Jason thumbed through the report with Dick looking over his broad shoulders. Dick's eyes widened as they read further and further down the page, while Jason just became a more sickly shade of green that was starting to concern Tim and even Damian. 

“Todd, are you okay?” Damian asked hesitantly. 

Jason leveled a glare at Damian, jostling Dick off of his shoulder as he handed the papers to Dick. “No, I am not alright. I woke up today to find that I had a son with my older brother. It isn't even eight in the fucking morning. I have no idea why the hell I'm even awake,” Jason spoke calmly, but there was an inordinate amount of heat behind his words. Tim couldn't help but think that at least Jason hadn't gone catatonic finding out the news. 

“We need to call Bruce,” Dick spoke up, seemingly ignoring Jason's miniature rant. No one spoke in disagreement, and all of the past Robins moved as one towards the old grandfather clock in a sitting room towards the back of the Manor. Tim noticed that the present Robin had moved in the opposite direction, towards the kitchen where the Batgirls and Thomas, Dick and Jason's kid, was. 

“Not coming.” It was both a question and Tim's answer as Damian ignored him and continued to the kitchen. Tim hoped that Damian got some answers from the kid that he had failed to get earlier, but he doubted that, suddenly considering Damian's astonishing lack of people skills. Tim walked to the cave, dreading the conversation that they would be having with The Batman telling him that his two eldest sons had a son. Tim understood Damian retreat now. 

 

“A son,” Bruce deadpans via video conferencing. Jason's sickly shade of green had been replaced with an embarrassed red as soon as Bruce had picked up the call. Tim had to explain most of it, because Dick was honestly confused and mopey and Jason simply couldn't talk after his outburst with Damian. Bruce had stared at Dick and Jason throughout the entire debriefing, nodding slightly to let Tim know that he was listening. 

“How the hell do we have a son?” Dick literally whined. His mess of soft, black hair becoming more messy as he constantly ran his limber fingers through it. His shocking baby blues peered up at Bruce through his eyelashes, reminding Bruce of a kicked puppy.

Bruce rolled his eyes. An interesting gesture, considering that he never did it. “It's not the end of the world. It's a kid, not a nuke. Grow up and figure it out.”

His three eldest sons looked at his with mouths agape. 

“You kidding, B?” Jason was the first to speak, and Bruce was surprised by the low volume of his voice combined with a threatening, angry undertone that Bruce knew too well. There were two ways that Jason got mad. A, loud and boisterous; easy to handle, easy to expect. B, seething and quite and downright dangerous; impossible to predict or handle at any given time. Jason was currently the latter, meaning old wounds were about to be torn open with grim accuracy. Whenever Jason was like this, he went for the proverbial jugular. 

“We have a four-year-old son in your kitchen. No idea where he came from or how he came into being, and your telling us to suck it up and deal with it? What the hell kind of a father are you?” 

“An experienced one,” Bruce answered immediately, cutting the seething Jason off. “Look, that kid has no where to go until you find answers. You two are going to have to play as his dads for awhile until this is figured out. As long as he's at the Manor, I don't want you two patrolling-” Dick and Jason took breaths simultaneously as Bruce held his hand up.

“I'm not done. I don't want you two patrolling, because, since that kid believes you two to be his fathers, you are going to do everything you can to make that kid happy. He is your son.” Bruce leaned back in his chair, awaiting a rebuttal. None came from either of the 'fathers,' but one did come from Tim. 

“That's stupid, Bruce, even for you.” Dick, Jason, and Bruce looked at Tim with absolute shock. Tim never went against Bruce so blatantly. Never.

Before Bruce could usher out an “Excuse me,” Tim continued. “The criminals are going to take note of their absence. They have to patrol. I can understand if it's a shorter patrol, but the kid's not going to be awake at one in the morning. Besides, I think that Dick and Jason are going to need a little breathing room after awhile,” Tim pointed out reasonably, sitting back in the Bat cave's chair and crossing his arms, waiting for a reply. 

“You're right.”

 

Jason stared at the kid- his kid- from the breakfast nook in the kitchen. Thomas was on top of the island answering all of the questions that Dick asked him, despite not knowing very much at all. Jason ran his fingers through his hair. Bruce had agreed to let them patrol, but not until after an hour after Thomas was asleep. Bruce was being a hard ass about Dick and Jason parenting this kid. Their son, Jason has to keep reminding himself. 

“Is Daddy okay, Papa?” Jason tensed at the little voice calling him 'Daddy.' Dick, 'Papa' apparently, assured Thomas that Jason was just tired. Jason looked up to the sound of little feet padding across the kitchen, and was surprised when he looked up to get a light kiss on the cheek. 

“Daddy should go take a nap!” The little boy declared, stumbling over his words a bit. Before Jason's brain could catch up with his limbs, he swallowed the boy up in the huge blanket covering his shoulders, settling the kid on his lap. Jason cooed. The kid was way too cute.

“You wanna take a nap with me?” Jason asked, ignoring the shocked faces of his family, already knowing the answer would be no. 

Surprisingly enough, the kid seriously thought about it. His brows furrowed together adorably. Jason could now see how this kid was his and Dickiebird's son. He had Dick's coloring- hair, eyes, skin- and personality, but Jason's features, including his smile, something Jason hadn't seen on himself since he had died.

“No, thank you,” Thomas replied, politely, after a little thought. Jason set Thomas back down, watching amused as his son ran around the massive island into some other room in the house, everyone but Dick hot on his trail. 

Jason hadn't talked to Dick at all about their son. Dick looked worn out and... unsure. The look of uncertainty on Dick's face had reminded him of all the times Dick had begged him to come home, back to the family. Dick's lean but muscular frame settled itself on the other side of the breakfast nook, opposite of Jason. 

“What's wrong, Dickiebird?” Dick looked at Jason contemplatively. Jason's voice was soft and understanding, and Dick was just so confused.

“We have a son,” Dick replied hesitantly. They were quiet a moment, taking how much the other had grown since their last less-than-friendly encounter. Jason had literally grown. He was over six feet tall and probably taller than Bruce. He had filled out a lot since his years in the scaly green panties. A firm jaw and sharp cheekbones gave him the illusion of maturity that an adult might have. Jason's eyes were still the more-green-than-blue color, and his hair was shorter and a lighter shade than Dick's jet black locks that went below his ears. 

Dick was still same ol' Dick. Messy hair, electrifying smile, gorgeous ass, and appalling fashion sense from the eighties. The only thing that had changed was the number of scars littering Dick's torso and the luminosity of the trademark smile. God, Jason missed that smile.

“Yeah,” Jason said, a small smile spreading across his lips, “We have a son.”


	2. Grandpa of the Spawn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bruce's first meeting with Thomas, how Thomas came into being, and Dick's POV. Damian thinks that Dick is being stupider than usual too.

“Down, Bwuce! Down,” The child commanded Bruce, attempting to turn into a liquid. Bruce sighed and took the kid off his lap. He found some amusement that the child, Thomas's, feet were already going before he even touched the ground. Bruce watched the child zoom out of his luxurious study now filled with toys to where Dick's room was. 

 

Bruce had come home from Justice League business thirty-six hours after his three eldest sons called claiming that Dick and Jason had a child. Bruce had been tempted to ask if their son was a love-child or something, but, after seeing Jason's calm but lethal anger and Dick's blatant shock, Bruce decided they probably wouldn't take the question too well. Bruce had figured he could take his time going home after business had been concluded, but his gut nagged at him to hurry home as soon as possible. He just wished Alfred hadn't decided to vacation to England this month, and Clark would mind his own business.

The first thing that Bruce noticed walking in the door was the screaming. He swore that every one of his children were screaming, apparently trying to find the love-child. Clark had followed Bruce home like some poor, orphaned puppy, and watched the scene play out with fascination glinting in his Kryptonian blue eyes. Toys were littered everywhere in the foyer. It made Bruce think of the Toy-Man, there were that many. Bruce eventually made his way to the coat closet, and refrained from face-palming as soon as he opened the door. A four-year-old kid who definitely was the Dick/Jason love-child Bruce had been called about, looked at him suspiciously between some coats. He put a tiny finger to his lips and proceeded to make himself smaller amongst the thrall of coats and jackets. Clark is beside Bruce in an instant, cooing aloud.

“Thomas!” Stephanie gasped, wedging in between Bruce and Clark, taking the kid out of the closet. Bruce hung up his and Clark's coats and turned around to see all of his children had gathered in the foyer.

“Hey, B,” Jason smiled, knowingly, “Meet your grandson. Say hi to Grandpa Bruce, Thomas.” Bruce leveled his gaze at Jason, who just beamed his amusement. 

“Hi, Gwandpa Bwuce,” Thomas said shyly, hiding behind Dick's leg. Dick asked Cass and Damian to take Thomas somewhere else to play as Jason welcomed Clark without breaking away from the stare-down with Bruce. Everyone watched as Cass and Damian led Thomas away, making sure the child was out of earshot before starting the imminent conversation.

“That's Thomas,” Bruce stated. Dick, Jason, Tim, and Stephanie nodded simultaneously in affirmation. Bruce pinched the bridge of his nose. 

“I can really tell that he's your son,” Clark said with a little too much enthusiasm, in Bruce's opinion. “Congratulations.”

“Th-,” Jason frowned, as if trying to get the words out was difficult, “Thanks. We have no idea where he came from, honestly.” Clark just smiled as if smiles would make it all better somehow. 

“You haven't found anything about where this child came from?” Bruce arched a brow at Tim, the best researcher of the family. 

Tim sighed heavily, “Let me show you what we did find.”

 

Bruce stared blankly at the Wayne Enterprises paper work on his desk, listening to the sound of disappearing feet. Clark sat across from him, looking at him with concerned eyes. Although Bruce would never admit to it, he really liked the Big Blue Boy Scout. It was nice to have a friend around (even if said friend would never shut up about letting your 'feelings' out). 

“Bruce, you know where the kid came from.” It was a fact, not a question. Bruce looked at Clark with what Clark would swear to be puppy-dog eyes. 

“Bruce-”

“Cadmus.”

“What?”

“The kid came from Cadmus to be the ultimate Robin and to possibly replace me as Batman,” Bruce scowled, but not in the scary sense. He was displeased, but not angry. Clark didn't reply and the silence was heavy with tension. The length of silence eventually came to a point were Bruce was starting to become uncomfortable. 

“Well,” Clark paused, “Congratulations.”

“What?”

“You're a grandpa, Bruce,” Clark smiled, “From what I have seen, you guys are going to keep the kid around. Also, considering that your sons are the kid's parents...” Clark shrugged, letting the rest of the sentence hang. Bruce was the World's Greatest Detective, after all. He could figure it out. 

“I'm a grandpa,” Bruce repeated, monotone. His face promptly hit his desk, and he muttered again. Clark was startled for a second, before full-out laughing, only laughing harder when Bruce pouts at him, telling him, “It's not funny, Clark!” 

“Yeah, yeah it is,” Clark laughs.

 

Dick stares at his ceiling. Sitting on the floor is somewhat uncomfortable, but Dick can't seem to find the willpower to move on to the bed he's leaning against. He runs his fingers through his dark hair. He had a son; a son with Jason's DNA. Dick looked down at his feet, rubbing his palms against his eyelids. 

Jason had tried to talk to Dick about Thomas, but Dick had still been in shock. Dick didn't know what surprised him more. There was the fact that he had a son and Jason was being all domestic-y (which is strange, period), and then there was the fact that Dick had a crush on Jason since the kid turned sixteen and said crush has a kid with him.

Dick's thoughts are interrupted by the pounding of little feet in the hallway. Thomas comes darting into his room and settles between Dick's thighs, back resting against Dick's abs. Thomas looks up at Dick with huge sapphire eyes, and Dick can see how the irises are his eyecolor but the shape of Thomas's eyes are Jason's. 

“What's wong, Papa?” Thomas asks up at Dick, tilting his head to the side a little. 

Everything. “Nothing, Thomas. 'M just tired. That's all.” Thomas poked Dick's cheek, puffing out his own. The huge, oak front doors shut audibly, signaling to anyone in the Manor that Jason and Tim had come back from their respective day jobs. Dick had known Tim worked for WE. Dick didn't really believe that Jason had a 'respectable' day job though, but, low and behold, Jason worked at a old ma and pa shop near in the older part of Gotham. 

“Daddy!” Thomas squealed, dashing out of Dick's room to go and see Jason. Dick felt some guilt nag at him. Jason was trying, but Dick had been actively avoiding Jason since their one-sided conversation in the kitchen a few days ago. Thomas hadn't even been at the Manor for a week, and yet he had integrated into the family flawlessly, minus the fact that he thought that Dick and Jason were in a relationship like most parents were. Dick sighed heavily, letting his head drop. 

“Why are you moping about, Grayson?” Damian stood framed in the doorway, arms crossed, and looking like his usually snide self. 

Dick didn't even move. “Go away, Dee.”

“Why are you moping over a child?” Damian asked, no malice to his voice, “Or is this about Todd?” Dick accidentally flinched at the name, giving Damian his answer. Damian walked over to Dick and sat crosslegged, back straight- almost in a meditative pose- next to him. 

“Richard.” Dick's head turned so fast, Damian swore he could have broken his neck from whiplash alone. 

“What is it that makes having a family with Todd so difficult?” There wasn't any double-meaning to the question, Dick realized. Damian wanted a straight answer for a straight question. Dick was quiet for a little while. 

Then, he answered, “I don't know.” 

“I am going to give you my opinion, Grayson. I do not care as to what you may do with it, however you will receive it,” Damian said, firmness coating a caring tone, “You love Todd. Todd loves you. However, the reason you two imbeciles are not together is because you two do not wish to harm the other by your presence. Now you must realize something, though. You have a spawn. A child. A child who wishes for both of his parents, just as his parents wish to be together as a family, Grayson. I do not care if you or Todd work your issues out with each other or if you do not, but do not harm the child in the process.” Damian had gotten up and was at the door to Dick's room again. “If you do, Richard, there will be hell to pay.” And, as soon as he had come, Damian was gone, leaving Dick to his thoughts.

Dick frowned. “Spawn?”


	3. Understatements

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Damian and Tim are getting along. Bruce actually has a heartfelt moment with his new grandson. And Alfred is amused by all of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PLEASE COMMENT if you like! I tend to write more on stories that are commented on more.

“So, how did the meddling go?” Tim doesn’t even look away from his computer as Damian flops on his bed. 

“They are morons,” Damian huffs with his usual arrogance. Sounds of Jason cooing over Thomas can be heard throughout the Manor. All of the Batfamily members were pleasantly surprised by Jason’s natural talent for parenting. The only unforeseen obstacle was Dick’s hesitancy. He was acting more like Bruce’s son than he ever had before, distancing himself from family. 

“Do we know the spawn’s origin yet?” Damian asked, turning over onto his stomach, resting his chin on his arms. 

“Cadmus created him using stolen DNA samples from Dick and Jason. They knew that Dick and Jason were the first Robins, so they wanted a Robin who could defuse any situation concerning a member or members of the family,” Tim explained, seemingly typing the data into a report. 

“We have not met the spawn before this week, correct?”

“Well, yeah,” Tim says hesitantly, swiveling to face Damian. A calculating, thoughtful look fills unnaturally blue Wayne eyes. 

“Grayson and Todd have not met the spawn either, correct?” Tm just nods this time.

“So, how does the spawn know that Grayson and Todd are his fathers?” Damian cocks his head to the side a little in question, furrowing his brow in the process. Tim thinks that it makes him look like a very concerned uncle. 

“Cadmus taught Thomas who all the members of the family are, and they also made sure that he knew who his fathers were. According to my contacts in Cadmus, Thomas just started calling Dick ‘Papa’ and Jason ‘Daddy’ because he had two fathers and both of them couldn’t be ‘Daddy.’” Tim smiles at the thought of three-year-old Thomas choosing nicknames for members of the Batfamily in the privacy of a small room. 

“Hm.” 

“Yeah, and apparently Thomas is extremely intelligent. He escaped Cadmus and came here just to meet his fathers,” Tim continues. 

“So, Father is on Cadmus’s trail due to the spawn’s arrival, and now?” Damian asks, sitting up, brow still furrowed.

“Now,” Tim says, somewhat thoughtful, “I destroy Cadmus financially. Without the funding, they won’t have the equipment…”

“And they will not be able to pursue anymore experiments in cloning,” Damian finishes, nodding.

The two brothers stay silent for a while, considering the implications of all that has happened since Thomas’s arrival.

“Do you think Grayson will step up?” Damian asks quietly, refusing to meet Tim’s scrutinizing gaze. All of the Batboys have parental issues. Bruce is a very distant father to Damian, but closer than Jack Drake was to Tim. Jason had a deadbeat dad. Dick was probably the only person who came out unaffected by his father’s parenting. Tim made sure to consider this before he answered.

“I’m not sure. Dick doesn’t really know how a distant father affects a kid. The only person I can think of that can knock some sense into Dick’s head is- wait, make that two people. Barbara can probably get Dick to realize some things, but he won’t take any action. Jason, on the other hand, can literally knock sense into Dick’s head; mentally or physically. But,” Tim sighed, running his hand through his hair, a habit picked up from Dick, “Dick is avoiding Jason like the freaking plague. Any chance we have of Dick stepping up is through Jason, which isn’t going to happen if there isn’t some sort of a breaking point where Jason forces Dick to listen.”

Damian is quiet and thoughtful, taking in every ounce of information. “I can ask Brown if she can help, and I am sure Cain would be willing to help start communication between the two. We just need a plan to put into action.”

Tim smiles a smile that everyone who knows him knows that it promises doom for whoever has befallen Tim’s wrath. Damian winces and prays that Dick and Jason will live through whatever hell Tim will put them through.

-

“Gwanpa Bwuce,” Thomas tugs at Bruce’s trousers. Bruce is in the largest study in the Manor completing paper work he really is regretting not pushing off onto Tim, who is way more capable of doing this than he. 

“Yes, Thomas?” Bruce smiles, swooping the little boy into his lap. He leans back in his office chair, leaving one of his hands splayed across Thomas’s back so that the boy wouldn’t fall off. 

“Does Papa not like me?” Thomas’s bottom lip quivered slightly, and Bruce suddenly felt disappointed that his eldest son had prompted the question in his newly found grandson. 

“No, no, Thomas. Your Papa loves you very dearly. Just like your Daddy and Uncle Damian and Uncle Tim and Aunt Stephanie and Aunt Cassandra and Great Grandpa Alfred and me,” Bruce listed off everyone Thomas had been introduced to in the past week. 

Thomas looked down at his small hands, brows furrowing. “Papa doesn’t really seem to like spending time awound me and Daddy. The people who told me about Papa and Daddy said that they didn’t love me, so they didn’t want me. They said if I evew came to see them, that they still wouldn’t love me. But Daddy loves me, and I just don’t know if Papa does,” Thomas explained, lower lip protruding out further and further as he went on. 

“Thomas,” Bruce said, situating the young boy so he would have to face Bruce, “We all love you very, very much. We want you here, but you need to understand something. Your Papa and your Daddy aren’t together like most parents are. They are uncomfortable around each other… for reasons you will know when you are older,” Bruce added on, watching Thomas open his mouth to ask why his parents were uncomfortable around each other. “Do you understand?”

“So, Papa and Daddy both love me, but awen’t in love with each othew?” Thomas cocked his head in question. 

“Yes,” Bruce said. Thomas nodded.

“Can I get down please?” Thomas asked politely. Bruce nodded, setting the little boy down. Thomas raced out of the room just as Alfred was entering. 

“Master Bruce, I do so hope that you aren't going to use your grandson as an excuse as to why your paper work isn’t properly finished,” Alfred said disapprovingly, raising an eyebrow. Bruce groaned loudly. Alfred smiled slightly, taking great joy in Bruce’s suffering.


End file.
